Page 26 of Spirit Trials
“What?” I bark. He just shakes his head before leaving the room. I grab a piece of fruit, some nuts, a chunk of bread and cheese and head to my room. “Night, Hector,” Icall out as I pass him. He doesn’t say anything, but I don’t let it bother me. I get to my room and change into sleeping clothes and pull back the blankets on my bed before I hear someone bellow my name. I close my eyes. Rysden’s back.
Chapter 15
I don’t bother going downstairs. A few minutes later, somebody bangs on my door, startling me. I take a breath and wrap a blanket around my shoulders before opening the door. “I called you,” he says, his eyes flashing.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did you expect me to come running when you asked so nicely for me?” I ask sweetly.
He stares down at me, and I can see the anger in his eyes and in his body; he’s practically vibrating with it. “Do you have any idea what you did in there tonight?”
“Yes, I made sure everybody knew who I was.” I lift my chin in defiance. “Lox told me to be fierce, and I was.”
“Fierce. Not stupid.”
My spine stiffens at his words. “Yeah, well,Prince, maybe if you had prepared me better for tonight, I could have done things the way you wanted. Instead, I went in blindly.”
His angry eyes clash with mine. “Well, congratulations. You just made an enemy of every single competitor in this year’s spirit trials.” He walks away, and the first tinges of regret begin to grow. I climb into bed and stare at the door before I finally lie down.
It's too late to regret my actions now.I have a hard time sleeping, and I’m up early the next morning. I take a bath because I don’t know when my next one will be and then open the wardrobe expecting to find one of Jamik’s shirts and a pair of trousers. But that’s not what greets me. I spend the next few minutes dressing in the clothing the tailor made for me for the spirit trials. It takes me a few minutes to figure out how it all goes together, but when I do...I shake my head. The man trulyis a magician. I study myself in the mirror. My outfit consists of thick pants that hug my legs, tall black boots, a long tunic with a high neck that protects my throat. Bracers are sewn into the material to cover and protect my wrists; Rysden must have told him I use a bow. There’s a soft, flexible and yet protective vest that fits over the long-sleeved tunic. There’s also a belted pouch that I’ve already filled with throwing stars. Last but not least, there are four straps for knives—two on each leg. The entire ensemble is black. I swallow hard and vow to thank the tailor when I come back.
It’s still early when I leave my room, but I can’t stay in there any longer or I'll go crazy. I wander downstairs, hoping the fire is going in the main room. I walk toward the great room but stop by a nearly closed door when I hear an angry voice. It only takes me a moment to place the voice. It’s the Wolf King. I still and don’t go any further. I don’t mean to eavesdrop; it just sort of happens.
“I asked you to come to the castle,” the king says angrily.
“I'm not an animal that you can summon.” That’s Rysden’s low voice.
“You sure about that?” the king asks. The king isn’t helping his cause in my eyes. I really don’t like him.
“What do you want?” Rysden asks. He sounds cool and calm.
It’s quiet a moment. When the king speaks, he sounds further away. “Quite the spectacle you put on last night.”
“I don't know what you’re talking about.”
“You expect me to believe the girl just showed up in all black on her own?”
“Coincidence,” Rysden says calmly.
I flinch when the king swears loudly. “You are the only one in this kingdom that dares to wear black to one of my events.”
“Farrah,” somebody whispers next to me, and I jump at least a foot in the air.
Lox stands next to me. “Boss says to get away from the door,” he says quietly.
My eyebrows rise in surprise. “How does he know I’m here?” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “It’s shocking to me that you don’t know by now that he knows your every movement.”
I scowl. “I’m not leaving; now go away. I'm trying to listen.” He smirks, but I ignore him and tune back into the conversation.
“And then your tramp shows up in your—” the king is saying.
“I would be very careful how you talk about her.” Rysden’s voice is different now.
The king’s voice deepens. “I don’t know what you're playing at but if you threaten my position...”
“You know I won’t do that.” Rysden sounds less angry and more resigned now.
The king laughs. “Right because you’re half a man.” I bristle at his words. “You’ve always been weak, just like your mother. You know what they say about you, right? That you’re the weak link in my kingdom. That you’re unfit to lead, a weakling, a do-gooder. You will never—”
